Because the supply of fossil fuels, natural gas, and other natural energy sources is finite, and because the processing and/or consumption of such fuels produces significant amounts of detrimental pollution, alternatives to such fuels have been saught, and in some cases implemented over the years. However, such alternative energy sources are not cost effective and rely on materials that are not renewable or not readily available for consumption. Accordingly, there is a need for alternative energy systems and methods for harnessing the power of such alternative energy sources.
For hundreds of years, water powered machines have been used that harness the energy of flowing or falling water as the driving force for work machines. Examples include mills, water lifting machines, and the like. Contemporary water driven turbines produce electric power from water flowing past turbines and thereby capture energy. Unfortunately, such water turbines lack efficiency and fail to take advantage of buoyancy. Additionally, hydroelectric dams, which operate with such water turbines, are extremely expensive to build and maintain, and therefore cannot be implemented rapidly and in areas where capital is not available to fund such projects.